This ACC tournament means more than usual to Williams, Tar Heels

By Brett Friedlander, Halifax Media Group

Published: Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 11:19 PM.

As Williams noted, Henson’s injury was much more serious than the cut that required eight stitches between the ring and middle fingers on Hairston’s left hand, so the direct comparison is apples and oranges. Still, there’s a good chance the UNC coach would have been much more likely to err on the side of caution with Hairston, too, had this team been the legitimate national championship contender it was in 2012. Hairston was just 3-of-10 from the floor (2-of-8 on 3-pointers) with his hand wrapped in a large bandage that taped his two fingers together. But he still managed to contribute 13 points, four rebounds, a block and an assist while playing solid defense as an undersized power forward.

His toughness and effort, which seemed to rub off on his teammates, have put the Tar Heels within reach of a goal that seemed about as realistic as dating a Kardashian following a 26-point drubbing at the hands of Miami on Feb. 9.

The fact that UNC had to battle back from that humiliating loss and an earlier 0-2 ACC start while completely retooling itself with a radical new lineup at midseason would make this banner as cherished as any of the others — including the big ones — hanging from the Smith Center rafters.

GREENSBORO -- Roy Williams has never been particularly fond of the ACC tournament, an event he once infamously referred to as “a great big cocktail party.” Unlike his Duke counterpart Mike Krzyzewski, who lives to cut down nets in Greensboro, Charlotte, Atlanta or wherever else the league is deciding its official champion in a given year, Williams would prefer to focus all his team’s energy on that other big tournament held each March.

There are certain exceptions, of course, like in 2010 when the Tar Heels needed to win the event to avoid relegation to the NIT. But for the most part, he treats the ACC tournament as a dry run for the more important NCAA tournament to come. Not this year.

Although UNC’s NCAA future is already secure thanks to a 24-9 record, the makeup of this year’s team figures to set its realistic ceiling closer to the Sweet 16 than the Final Four. Combine that with everything the Tar Heels have been through just to get here and the fact that the neighboring nemesis Blue Devils were sent packing in Friday’s quarterfinals, and you get the feeling Williams might want this one just a little more than usual.

UNC, the No. 3 seed, earned that shot Saturday by beating Maryland 79-76 at Greensboro Coliseum to advance to today’s 1 p.m. title game against top-seeded Miami.

Because it’s likely the only championship this young group of players will have a shot at winning this year, Ol’ Roy is going for it.

A telltale sign of that paradigm shift came Saturday afternoon when sophomore swingman P.J. Hairston, less than 12 hours removed from a hand injury he said made him think he “was going to die,” suited up and played 36 minutes as if nothing happened.

Compare that to last year, when he kept forward John Henson on the sideline for the rest of the ACC tournament after he suffered a wrist injury early in UNC’s opening game.

“John’s injury didn’t allow him to play. P.J.’s injury did allow him to play,” Williams said. “John was able to come back and play two rounds in the NCAA tournament, but he was not John Henson. P.J., today, wasn’t what we’ve seen from P.J., but he was still able to play.”

As Williams noted, Henson’s injury was much more serious than the cut that required eight stitches between the ring and middle fingers on Hairston’s left hand, so the direct comparison is apples and oranges. Still, there’s a good chance the UNC coach would have been much more likely to err on the side of caution with Hairston, too, had this team been the legitimate national championship contender it was in 2012. Hairston was just 3-of-10 from the floor (2-of-8 on 3-pointers) with his hand wrapped in a large bandage that taped his two fingers together. But he still managed to contribute 13 points, four rebounds, a block and an assist while playing solid defense as an undersized power forward.

His toughness and effort, which seemed to rub off on his teammates, have put the Tar Heels within reach of a goal that seemed about as realistic as dating a Kardashian following a 26-point drubbing at the hands of Miami on Feb. 9.

The fact that UNC had to battle back from that humiliating loss and an earlier 0-2 ACC start while completely retooling itself with a radical new lineup at midseason would make this banner as cherished as any of the others — including the big ones — hanging from the Smith Center rafters.

“We’ve had some ups and downs this year and a lot of people kind of doubted us,” said freshman point guard Marcus Paige, whose two big baskets late in the game Saturday helped his team hold off the Terrapins. “But the great thing is that we stuck together as a team and we finally started getting things clicking.

“To win an ACC tournament championship … it would be awesome to see the season come full circle like that.”

Regardless of what happens in that other tournament to come, the one that’s more than just a great big cocktail party.